wandering sails

the town i live in.

would you like to know one of the many reasons i love my town? yesterday morning, i ran out of the door and jumped in my car. i threw it in gear, and realized that i had forgotten something i needed for work. i put it in park, jumped out and ran to the back door. i unlocked the door, stepped inside, grabbed the book, relocked the door and shut it on my way out. got back in my car and drove to work. had a rather uneventful day, ran some errands on the way home and when i got there, i gathered my goods to carry inside. i could not find my house keys. i figured it would all be fine (don't ask me to explain that logic), so i carried my things to the house. lo and behold... there were my keys in the door, one of which had gotten caught between the door and the frame, so the door didn't actually latch. i shook my head at myself and went inside, taking my keys with me.

what does this have to do with why i love the town i live in? simple. i didn't have to be worried that someone had pilfered all my things. i went inside and went about my evening.

posted by julie @ 10:18 AM 1 comments

finis.

i have been finishing things. wrapping things up. cleaning the plate.

it started with a scarf. i started it two years ago. i crocheted until i ran out of yarn. so i finished jack's scarf that i started last year. then i picked up the quilt i started in 1998. i spent the weekend stitching. and stitching. i have half of it done. i will finish it this week. then, i will finish the cabin book for my grandma.

it feels so good to get these things done. they have been sitting around, wasted, for too long. and i have to tell you, the absolute sheer joy on jack's face when he turned to look at me, the scarf wrapped around his neck... that made the finish so incredibly worth it.

and not storing a blanket i can't use? that will be nice. i'm all about cleaning out the junk right now. finishing up the unfinished. making things neat again. i get so bogged down by the weight of stuff. by the weight of unfinished business. i'm a project starter. i am very much a project finisher, as well, but sometimes, i set things aside "for a while." and a while is never a short time. i want to feel like my plate is clean. fresh. new.

and so i am finishing things up. getting ready for the freshness. waiting for it. doing what i can in the meantime. and i am enjoying it. i like the focus. i've missed it.

posted by julie @ 3:18 PM 1 comments

why i love my mother.

i realized last night about nine that i had caught another mouse. my plan had been to realize something like this early enough that i could convince my grandpa to come over and deal with it. he finds his pillow around 7, unfortunately, so i had to come up with plan b. i knew my dad wouldn't come over again and do it, since he told me quite sternly that he wouldn't, and my younger brothers don't think outside their own comfort very often, so i figured that was out. i can do this. sure. i did it in college once.

*i grabbed my broom and some masking tape and attached the dust pan to the end of the broom with perhaps more tape than was necessary.
*i put shoes on. one cannot do these things with bare feet.
*i unlocked the back door and moved shoes aside, for quick and easy access to the garbage.
*i turned the light on in the front room.
*i set and opened a bag next to the scene for disposal.
*i dialed rachel's number. this was going to require moral support. no answer.
*i dialed my parents' number. i prayed for my mom to answer. success!

'hey, mom, what's up?' 'i'm just watching a little tv. why?' 'i have to get rid of a dead mouse because i'm pretty sure no one else will come and do it for me. i need some moral support.' 'what about bob? (the coolest thing is that my family really gets to say that on occasion...) you could try him.' 'he's not home? where is he?' 'i don't know, he's just not home yet.' 'thanks, i'll call him.'

i dial bobby's cell phone. no answer.

i dial nicky's cell phone. after much deliberation with her and bobby, nicky agrees to come in the morning and help me out. she requests only two things. the back door to be unlocked and a mouse map. tell her where the mouse is. i offer up the year old bacardi in my freezer as well. if i haven't dipped a finger in by now, i'm not likely to and i sure could use the freezer space. as i write, there is no dead mouse in my house. i'm hoping there are no breathing mice in my house, either, but i seem to be on a roll.

my mother always knows just what i really want. gotta love that.

posted by julie @ 10:30 AM 2 comments

and it all goes to crap.

i am tired. very, very crawl-back-in-bed sort of tired. this weekend was supposed to be one of rest, relaxation and me time. i got that. it was wonderful. i spent some time with kathy and with my family, but most of it was all me. i needed that. i slept in, i ate simply, but well, i read, i watched movies, did laundry and the dishes, curled up in a blanket and worked on scarves (some lengthening for halle, a finish for jack and progress on mine) and on sunday, i didn't even unlock my doors to go outside. it was wonderful. i slept deep and soundly on friday night and saturday. i was so raring to go for this week. and then, it seems, i'm not meant to sleep well three nights in a row, so last night i did not. it was horrible. i tossed and turned, dreamt strange combinations and lay awake half the night. i dreamt of a mouse (quite likely due to my troubles this fall), of my brother and sister-in-law living in a different house and having me overnight so that they could meet my new boyfriend (who was there, but i never actually saw, only spoke of by name and talked about) and of my entire crapload of cousins and aunts and uncles just showing up for the occasion. 'certainly can't order take out chinese for all these people, we'll have to get pizza.'

man, i wanted that chinese.

posted by julie @ 11:46 AM 1 comments

loosing the loop.

i started crocheting about six years ago. everything i made was crooked. so all i did was make scarves because those don't really matter if they're a little off. people have actually requested my crooked scarves. it feels good that my lack of talent is sought after. i don't count my stitches and i have always believed this is why it all has had so much character. i don't think that's the case anymore. see, i've been working on another scarf, as my other one is starting to wear and stretch, and this one isn't crooked. i started skipping a loop in my turnarounds somewhere near the beginning (i'm not really sure why, but i did) and after a while, i realized that it was not becoming a crooked scarf. no. it was straight, straight indeed. for six years, i have added an unnecessary loop, thus making crooked scarves. i learned from my grandma and everything she sets out to be straight are straight, so at some point, i either misunderstood her or made that extra loop up. i'm very excited about this new scarf, being straight and all, but there is a sadness to the passing of the crooked scarf. now, i'm just like every other crocheter. maybe it's not so bad, but surely no one will request a straight scarf. (this could prove to be beneficial, though, since i'm not very fast.)

posted by julie @ 8:13 AM 4 comments

my baby gift for talia.

gloria, i wanted to get your new little talia something very very special that she would gets years of use out of. i think we could paint it pink if she's into pink, but whatever. it's your boat.

congratulations! can't wait to meet her.


AD SPECIFICATIONS
YEAR 1900
FUEL diesel
MAKE Johnston Brothers
BUILDER Johnston Brothers
MODEL Tug
PRICE $98,000.00
LOA 57
BEAM 11
LOCATION Duluth, MN
DRAFT 4' 10
ENGINE MODEL Cummings HB1D
BOAT NAME Sea Bird
HORSEPOWER 185
LENGTH FEET 57
FUEL (GALLONS) 1000
HULL TYPE steel
ENGINE TYPE single

DESCRIPTION
1900 Johnston Brothers Tug, 57' Sea Bird, This Tug is a remarkable piece of living history. This Tug was built back in 1900 at Ferrysburg Michigan by Johnston Brothers. This Tug has always been on the great lakes. She is powered by a Cummings 6- cylinder diesel. The "Sea Bird" has been remarkably restored and is ready for your inspection.

posted by julie @ 2:02 PM 1 comments

reality of dreams.

yesterday morning as i was driving to work, i tried to think of something to post about. i was in the mood and ran through my weekend, trying to come up with something good. by the time i arrived at work, i had yet to settle on something, so i went about my morning routine. when i checked my email, i was greeted by a message from erin. it was like an answer from God. blog this.

so, just in case you were confused or worried about my mental state, be at peace. it was just a dream. but oh, what a funny tail it's turned out to have.

posted by julie @ 4:18 PM 1 comments

changing homes.

i wanted to make sure that i let you all know that i'm changing my blog address. i've prayed all morning about it, and i really think that God is leading me in a new direction. the truth is, i'm getting married, and it's changing everything. he's so great. he's a rock star. really. he is. i can't tell you his name, because being married to a rock star is very tricky business. i want my life to go on as normal, and not be seen as different by any of you. i care so much for you all, and want to share this new journey with you.

my new address will be marry-for-money.blogspot.com. the same julie will be present there, only now i'll be the wife of a rock star. a rock star's wife. and somehow, that will make me different.

posted by julie @ 10:06 AM 3 comments

bits of good & sad.

today is my little brother's birthday. it's also veteran's day. when he was little, we used to tell him that the banks and post office were closed just for him. the plan for his present fell through and in my scurried attempts to fix that, i ended up with two gifts. so, it's official. i have started my christmas shopping.

wednesday night, i had harsh words with him. i have missed him as my friend and brother. he's changed. doesn't laugh much anymore and isn't around to hang with anymore. it makes me really sad. and reminded me harshly how alone i really am. and how well i've hidden that, even from myself.

my old friend kristi stopped in at my work on wednesday, as well. i hadn't seen her in about 4 years. she went off to austria for a while and though we emailed on occasion, we never connected when she came back on breaks. we both have this issue with telling stories. we like to do it. this means that she was here for a few hours. and all we did was catch up on the big things. we'll need to schedule another day to finish up. what an amazing person she is. you know how some people just exude light? she's one of them.

my good friend, joel, finally posted again. i think we all thought it would never happen, so rejoice with him that he found the time.

i have a fairly empty weekend. this is a good thing. a very good thing. i'm hauling my winter clothes in from the garage and will put the summer clothes out there instead. now i will not have to wear the same things every week. which is also a very good thing.

they say we may get snow next week. i say bring it on. i want snow. i owe it to my snowshoes to take them out of the closet this year. if i don't, their poor little souls may die and i'll be out of luck. soulless snowshoes are no good. besides, when they cry all winter it makes me sad.

that's about all i have. thanks for listening. or reading... if you're looking for funny, read the last post. it's better.

posted by julie @ 4:06 PM 1 comments

waxed legs & battery clamps.

on tuesday, i went to the car wash. my car needed it very much. i usually don't take such poor care of my dear automobile, but i've not had any time to get it washed. i've always some place to be. but monday, when i got gas, i paid for one and vowed that i would get in this week. the most logical day seemed to be tuesday, so that it would be clean when it went to the shop on wednesday.

my car, as dear as it is, is old. so old, in fact, that it legally could drive itself (which it doesn't... i'm not sure why). things wear out. three things had drastically worn out, which warranted a trip to the garage. well, maybe it was the fact that one of the three was my muffler and i hate being so loud. my transmission needed to be flushed (the fluid was black. black, i say.) and there's been this thing with my battery. one of the clamps hasn't really clamped down on one of the terminals well. it's too big or something. so just about every day, i would have a disconnect. usually more than once a day. which means that the radio stations and the clock get reset about two or three times a day.

so, i went to the carwash on tuesday. i contemplated leaving my car running, but thought... oh, i'll be fine. it'll start up. yeah. it didn't. so, as the dryer was starting at the end, i popped the hood, ducked under the shoulder strap and jumped out. i messed with the terminal, ran back around and tried to start the car. nothing. okay, try it again. run around, mess with terminal, run around again. nothing. crap. the car wash has been dribbling and spraying the whole time, so my tights are wet. what? tights? julie, are you doing this in a skirt? yes. yes i am. add it to the stack. finally, after four tries, she starts and i jump in, cursing my car washed legs and speed up to the dryer so that at least half of my car can at least be qualifed as damp.

but, today is thursday. yesterday was wednesday. my new sister-in-law, nicky, and i switched vehicles tuesday night and she brought my sweet little camry to work with her. just the muffler and transmission were getting fixed and i was so excited to have a quiet car that actually worked. i was waiting at home for her to come last night when she called. she tells me that she has a surprise for me. i cannot imagine what it is. she shows up and hands me a battery clamp. the old one. don't i have the best sil ever??? she fixed my battery, too! so now, my car is all fixed. maybe now i'll make it through the winter without having to stand outside trying to fix my car in the bitter type of cold that makes the snot you didn't even know you had in your nose freeze.
bring it on.

posted by julie @ 8:51 AM 2 comments

secret.

i am tired of being tired. i'm tired of trying to do it on my own. i am not good on my own. i don't know how i let myself get here. and why is it so easy and so hard to change? i didn't know that when i built my walls, i would shut him out, too. and sometimes, i hear the faint knocking down at the bottom of my wall, but i pretend i don't hear it while i put another stone on. sometimes, i think i'll get to it later, but i never do.

i'm tired of being tired.

posted by julie @ 9:58 AM 2 comments

more treats than trick.

i have never been able to pass out candy on halloween. ever. i have always been away from home. but this year, i made a point to be home. i got home and turned the porch light on right away while i went to get some things done. i didn't get much done at all. turns out this candy passing out is a busy deal. i had my light on for 2 hours and 15minutes and saw 74 trick-or-treaters. every time i went to do something else, a timid little knock would come on my door. around seven, i was really hungry, so i threw in a pizza and had to stand at the stove and scarf it piece by piece in between knocks. crazy! if i do this next year, i'm getting a second. it's hard to do it all by yourself.

being the dork that i am, i have a few numbers for you regarding monday night (as soon as my porch light went off, i ran to the living room to figure these out, but i kept forgetting to bring the sheet in...)

posted by julie @ 8:52 AM 1 comments

ummm...

a random delivery guy just came in, read my nameplate, called me judy (will it never end???) and started singing 'good morning, beautiful' to me. ...and i'm supposed to respond, how?

posted by julie @ 9:03 AM 2 comments